Manager story: Choices I make, determines my destiny!

Manager story: Choices I make, determines my destiny!

I joined ZS in November 2015 as a consultant. After six months, my manager suggested that I take on an additional project. This was necessary because a single project couldn't cover the entire cost of a consultant, and having two projects would enhance my learning experience.

I found a futuristic project focused on patient finding and recommendations for HCP targeting. Despite being new to pharma consulting and lacking prior technology experience, the other manager was willing to take me on half time, with the condition that I join the new project full-time after a year.

When I informed my manager, he refused and suggested I take up an internal initiative instead, to maintain a better work-life balance. In good faith, I agreed and dedicated myself fully to this internal project.

Two years later, in 2017, my manager continued to give the same old feedback: I needed to learn another area besides Incentive Compensation (the internal initiative was all about program management). Ironically, he had initially prevented me from taking on another project that would have expanded my learnings not just into one non IC area, but into a many futuristic area.

And when I was on the critical cycle to get promoted to manager, he released from the three-year project, so that he didn't have to justify promoting me (although he gave me good ratings, which could have led to a promotion in the next cycle).

In hindsight, I should have insisted on joining the new project, managing both responsibilities in half time each. It's possible that the new team could have managed with just 50% of my time even after a year, or I could have taken a release from my existing project. 

My manager prioritized his own benefit of having someone manage the project, which would have been acceptable if he had also supported my professional growth (promotion), but he didn't. While I couldn't control his behavior, I should have researched more, discussed with colleagues and mentors, and if they were aligned, done everything in my capacity to get on the new project, instead of accepting his advice in good faith. Moreover, ZS's culture would have allowed me to take up that opportunity even if my he didn't agree to it!

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Read past stories like above at https://lnkd.in/d9ijze8r